Content collection is data collection: How communications strengthen development program evidence

By Lisa Ritchie, Communications Strategist and Founder of EngagingDev

Communications teams are often considered the ‘storytellers’ of international development. They are called in to turn evidence into reports and success stories once the real work is done, but what if we treated communications as part of the real work?

The best communicators don’t just tell stories — they uncover them. They observe, verify and record what is happening.  They ask questions, test facts and cross-check sources, collecting valuable qualitative and quantitative evidence about a program’s progress and impact.

Yet few programs capture the evidence generated through communications in their monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) systems, and this is a missed opportunity.

Communications is an evidence-driven discipline

A strong communications team will not sit and wait for a program’s reports before identifying communications opportunities. They will be on the front foot, identifying opportunities as, and sometimes before, they emerge. They then firm up the ‘story’, verify facts, look for patterns and ask the same questions the MERL team asks: who was involved, what changed, why, how do we know, and why is this important?

This discipline means communications teams comprise some of the most active data collectors in a program. They gather and test information, then distil it into accurate, clear and compelling content designed to resonate with audiences.

Content collection is data collection

Every time a communications specialist interviews a partner, conducts a site visit, and gathers appropriate and accurate background information they are gathering data. Quotes, numbers, photos, attributions, timelines, observations — all of this is program evidence.

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Above: Capturing evidence generated through a program’s communications within the MERL system contributes to greater credibility, learning and influence.

Communications specialists collect and validate information through multiple sources and seek further context from partners and technical specialists. This process of triangulation is often associated with research or evaluations, but it is equally core to creating evidence-based communications content.

When these insights are recognised as data and captured systematically, they can strengthen a program’s knowledge base, not just its content output.

Evidence in action

It has been my experience that programs frequently overlook the value of the evidence communications teams collect.

Consider the following scenarios:

• Scenario 1: A program funded the redevelopment of a health facility. When the team leader requested patient numbers for a donor briefing, the MERL team noted the data would be available in the next quarter following a scheduled monitoring visit. However, the communications team had already collected it for a recently published media release through staff and patient interviews and a review of clinic records. No one recognised this as evidence and it was not captured in the MERL system. The team leader told the donor the information was not available.

• Scenario 2: A donor asked a program’s MERL Lead if they had a partner government quote to enhance an internal briefing. The communications specialist had interviewed a senior official weeks earlier and obtained informed consent to use their quotes for a range of purposes, including donor communications. As interviews conducted by the communications team were not considered evidence, the material wasn’t stored in the MERL system — and the program replied that a quote was not available.

Integrating communications evidence into MERL

Programs can take simple steps to ensure evidence from communications feeds into MERL systems:

• Create a shared evidence log where communications, MERL and other program staff upload verified insights that can then be tagged to outcomes.

• Ensure data collection tools include options to capture context, observations, media coverage and quotes.

• Use communications interviews as data points with transcripts, field notes and final communications products analysed along with other program data.

• Ensure your communications team is involved in program briefings before and after site visits, major events or other significant program activities.

• Ensure your communications team is not buried within or under MERL systems so that they can be responsive and autonomous while feeding back into the program’s evidence base and learning.

The above steps support a more holistic view of program progress that reflects not only what has changed, but how people experience that change.

5. The takeaway

When communications evidence is captured and used within MERL systems, the result is far more than a ‘good story’. It creates a virtuous loop:

• Communications strengthens the evidence base.
• Evidence strengthens communications products.
• Together, they strengthen credibility, learning and influence.

The next time your communications team prepares a story, a photo essay or a video, remember: they are not just creating content, they are collecting evidence. When programs recognise and integrate this advantage, communications become more than telling the ‘story’ of a program’s results; they become an integral part of a program’s success.